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How to Handle Customer with Language/Cultural Barriers as a Customer Service

Manager

The world is increasingly becoming smaller in this digital era; thus, client bases are
progressively becoming more diverse and global. As a result, effective customer service
employees must be ready to engage with clients from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Every
firm may not be able to afford multilingual personnel to handle all of its customer service
requirements, whether done online or on personal basis. Customer experience may suffer
greatly from linguistic problems especially if various discrepancies are not resolved to allow for
easy interaction between the clientele and the business (Kieser 2002). Discussed below are
some of the suggestions that may be adopted by businesses and support personnel who
provide customer care and often encounters the language problem during interactions with
customers.

Put your cultural lens into consideration

As humans, the perspective by which we view the world is shaped by our society. Every
relationship we have with another person is filtered via our cultural beliefs and norms. When two
individuals from diverse cultures presume the other holds the same viewpoint, communication
problems arise (Kieser 2002). An instance in which this may occur is through contextual
communication. Some cultures have little context. This indicates that the discourse is generally
direct and aggressive. A low context culture also has fewer formalities. This involves
speaking from the heart and meaning every word that you say. The low-context societies are
also highly individualistic; placing more value on the self than the community.

Additionally, the high context cultures also exists; here, the discussion is more relational and
indirect. There are many unspoken conventions and standards that govern communication, thus
the true essence of a discussion is not always conveyed verbally. Interactions within high-
context societies is more delicate, and one may need to develop a comprehensive
understanding in order to get points across. Cultures with high context frequently place more
value on the collective than the individuals (Kieser 2002). It is essential to comprehend the
culture of every client when providing the customer care services.

Get yourself educated

An excellent method to demonstrate that the department of customer service as well as

the business are aware of the demands of the individuals who purchase their product or
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services is to educate oneself on the cultural background and language of its consumer base.

Through this, one is able to communicate with the customers more effectively when he or
she comprehends and respects their culture. Additionally, it would enable one to more
effectively identify the clients' needs, which could in turn support the development of a customer
support culture. In order to provide excellent customer support, the customer service
team must learn the language of their clients. Through this, they will be way better
in conversing with them in English suppose they are equally conversant in their mother
tongue. Moreover, bilingual people frequently transfer syntax of their native languages along
with the diction tendencies to the other second language (Kieser 2002). Whenever someone
encounters a language gap, it will be helpful if they simply modify their English so as to fit the
grammatical structure.

Ensure clarity and simplicity in your language

It's crucial to use brief sentences when communicating with a consumer who is using English as
a second language. Streamlining the language can make it easier for the consumer to grasp
whatever is being implied, whether in speaking or writing, which further reduces the likelihood of
a misinterpretation. A local English speaker can find it weird or even awkward to keep his ideas
and sentences short and straightforward. Customers who are not well conversant with a
specific language or who only have a basic comprehension of it may find themselves in this
situation (Jeharsae 2014). Therefore, customer service agents need to spend adequate time
and communicate in a straightforward distinct tone when transferring information to prevent
misunderstandings. Slowly and clearly speaking, the speaker must be heard. Nevertheless,
clarity would compensate for any language style sacrifices.

Go extra mile

Employees must go above and beyond to accommodate clients and enable them feel at ease
when communicating so as to eliminate linguistic obstacles. Whenever something has not been
made explicit, customer service agents may request for it to be repeated. Employees must not
make assumptions when something is unclear. Additionally, it is important to confirm whether
the clients have comprehended the content being communicated (Kieser 2002). Utilizing open-
ended questions in gauging the customer's comprehension is very suitable in this case.

Utilize the technology

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There are a number of technologies available to help company representatives communicate to

make their encounters easier. A business could spend money on a language program that
translates across all the languages. Interactive Voice Response Service may be programmed to
operate in various languages. Additionally, multilingual platforms and portals could be created to
accommodate additional users. Another helpful technique for offering customer care
and service is integrating multilingual chat functionality to the business website. Online films
could be posted to give technical details about the goods and services to provide guidance
to customers about their often encountered issues (Bhar and Bakar 2012). To ensure that all
clients can obtain the information, businesses may develop pertinent literature such as
pamphlets and brochures in several languages.

Employ suitable media for communication

When communicating with clients, an appropriate communication channel must be chosen. For
instance, there are situations when verbal communication through the phone may not be
sufficient (Kieser 2002). While the pricing information may be provided over the telephone to a
consumer contacting a cellular operator, it could also be delivered via email or rather text
message to make sure the information has been received.

Exhibit patience

Every culture possesses a unique style of interpreting and communicating various situations.
Kieser (2002) stipulates that if a member of the customer service team cannot understand what
the client is communicating, they should remain calm and patient. In order for the customer
service team to comprehend the customer's requirement and offer the service appropriately,
they must make every effort to obtain as much data as they can. Collection of adequate data
helps ease the whole process of interpreting the customer’s culture since the employee in
charge would be able to know the foundations of every statement. It easier to interpret a
statement when one clearly understands the client’s background. As a result, the customer
service agent is able to offer appropriate and effective services.

Verify if the customer comprehended the conveyed message

The customer service team should never presume that the customer fully
comprehends whatever they are trying to imply. This is particularly true with firms whose
prospective clients are the sole consumers of its products or services. When people
cannot comprehend each other, it makes them uncomfortable. An individual may not
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independently ask for explanation in order to alleviate this pain since this is a choice that is
often made consciously or unconsciously at times (Jeharsae 2014). Thus, giving clients
an undivided attention and a chance to clarify something without having them feel pressed into
service is courteous and thoughtful. Through this, the business is able to identify any limitations
in its services and develop the appropriate remedies. As a result, both the business and clients
become satisfied with the services produced.
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List of References

Bhar, S.K. and Bakar, N.A.A., 2012. Language barriers: Feedback from the IT industry. Journal
of Technical Education and Training, 4(2).

Jeharsae, F., 2014. English oral communication problems and strategies used by Thai
employees in an international workplace to communicate with native and non-native English
speaking customers (Doctoral dissertation).

Kieser, A., 2002. On communication barriers between management science, consultancies and
business companies. Critical consulting, pp.206-227.